Lance Berkman should've stayed in the AL and DH'd

[Brownieand45sfan]

it's a shame, because it looks as if his career is now over. all because of an injury that happened while he was fielding first base. Otherwise, based on how strong the statistics were last year, ... He would've had enough gas in the tank to make the Hall. He is only 36 years old. Here Are His Stats:

Hall Of Fame StatisticsPlayer rank in (·)
Black Ink Batting - 8 (286), Average HOFer ≈ 27
Gray Ink Batting - 107 (200), Average HOFer ≈ 144
Hall of Fame Monitor Batting - 98 (164), Likely HOFer ≈ 100
Hall of Fame Standards Batting - 45 (114), Average HOFer ≈ 50

So I wonder why he and his agent didn't lean to AL teams? if Lance had stayed healthy, it would've been a cinch to join Houston in their move to the AL next year. but alas…

[Ben Grimm]

Many thought St Louis overpaid him as a FA prior to the 2011 season. They paid him $8M coming off the worst season of his career, and was looking like a risk move. They offered him a $12M one-year deal before the season ended last year, and he signed it.

[Bothrops Atrox]

Wait. He should have "stayed" in the AL as a DH after 2010 or he should have gone back to to the AL after 2011? Because being an All Star and getting a game-tying extra-inning hit in a World Series that he went on to win makes it look like 2011 was a pretty good choice.

As far as the Cardinals, with Craig, I don't understand why they signed him at all - even if Pujols wasn't coming back. Even when he was healthy this year, either him or Craig or Beltran were riding the bench every game. Waste of $12 mill.

[Ben Grimm]

As for heading to the AL as a DH back in the '10 offseason, that was a virtual no-go. He expressed that he wanted to head back to the NL and did not want to DH. He was so commited to playing every day in the field that he lost almost 20 lbs and dropped his body fat from 19% to 13% in order to prep playing in the outfield. The A's were the team most interested at the time and Lance publicly said he wanted an $8-$10M deal which much of the media didn't think he'd get - especially as an aging player who may have hit the wall.

Naturally, as well as he hit in 2011, the same media members figured he'd be a lock to sign a multi-year deal during last year's free agency. The Cards put up a nice big number and surprisingly got him signed. Unfortunately, things didn't work out this year bot either of them (well - other than making $12M to play 30 or so games).

Much speculation had Pujols leaving St Louis at the end of the year, and this was perhaps a stop-gap signing to see if either Allen Craig can play there in the future or if their prospect, Matt Adams could when ready.

[Dude Paskert]

I'd imagine StL is a pretty nice place for a ballplayer...very passionate fanbase and a less intrusive media than most places where baseball is taken seriously. It kinda sorta has a southern feel to it, so a Texan like Lance might feel pretty comfortable there.